dance of water is secured from the rivers and creeks for irrigation. The 

 San Buenaventura Valley, locally mentioned as the avenue, on account 

 of the beautiful drive, is dotted on each side by pleasant, well-kept homes, 

 where busy merchants devote a few hours of the day to growing small 

 orchards, and gardens, and raising chickens, for recreation. 



The productions of Ventura County are varied. It is sometimes called 

 "The Bean County," of California. It does grow beans — and all kinds of 

 beans. The most important variety is the Lima bean, known in Eastern 

 gardens as the butter-bean. Whole farms are devoted to the raising of 

 these beans, and up to last year the county boasted the largest Lima-bean 

 ranch in the world. Recently it was divided, and now half a dozen men are 

 raising beans on its 1,600 acres. Some idea of the immense amount of 

 Lima beans raised in Ventura County may be had when it is stated that 

 last season 65,000 acres were planted to Limas, and 25,000 acres to other 

 varieties of beans. Over a million and a half was realized from this crop. 



Six years ago there sprung up a new industry In Ventura County. At 

 that time much of its rich bean and barley lands were diverted to the 

 raising of sugar-beets. This was brought about by the establishment of 

 a million-dollar sugar plant by the American Beet Sugar Company, of 

 which the Oxnards are the head. About the big plant sprang up the town 

 of Oxnard, now a bustling little city of more than 2,000 people. The factory 

 employs many hundred men during the sugar season, which usually begins 

 in July, running well along into November, the factory meantime being run 

 night and day. 



Another rich crop is that of walnuts, or what are known as English 

 walnuts. That the grower has faith in walnuts is evidenced by the 

 assessor's books, which show that there are 16,000 non-bearing, or young, 

 trees in the county. There are also 18,000 bearing almond trees, although 

 no special attention has been paid to this nut in the past. 



In the raising of fruits, apricots take the lead, there being 223,000 

 bearing trees in the county, and 25,000 non-bearing. Prunes, peaches, 

 and apples are also produced in large quantities. Generally speaking, 

 however, the fruits undergo the drying process before being marketed. 

 The sun does the work of drying after the orchardist has gathered and 

 cut his fruit and spread it on trays. 



It is of record that there are 92,000 bearing orange trees in the county 

 and some 16,000 new trees have recently been put out. The lemon trees 

 bearing number 67,000, and the olive trees 35,000. Small fruits, berries, 

 and vegetables of all kinds grow freely and attain to the very best in size, 

 quality, and quantity. The bee is also at home here, the output of honey 

 being more than 250 tons each year. 



Ventura has within its borders many fine stock ranges and each year 

 over ten thousand head of range cattle are carried through upon the wild 

 grasses which grow abundantly in the mountain districts. There are also 

 a few sheep in the county, but not so many as in the old Spanish days, 

 when the country was largely given over to stock. 



One of the oldest industries of Ventura is that of oil, which was first 

 sought in California in this county. The best oil fields are located in the 

 northeast section, with Santa Paula as the center of the industry. From 

 Santa Paula pipe-lines convey the oil to the seaboard at San Buenaventura, 

 a distance of 16 miles. From there it is carried in tank steamers to San 

 Francisco for refining and to Honolulu, where it is used in the furnaces of 

 the sugar refineries. The annual output of oil from the county exceeds 

 a half million barrels. 



Ventura County has two seaports, San Buenaventura, and Hueneme, 

 at which ships touch regularly two or three times each week, giving her 

 connection with Los Angeles and way ports on the south and with San 

 Francisco and way ports on the north. The lines of the Southern Pacific 

 Company link the county from end to end. 



The principal town of the county is the county seat, San Buenaventura, 

 also called Ventura. It contains some 3,000 people, and is a thriving 



